Leo Lumm will miss graduating with his friends this spring, but he gave up his senior year at Brandon High School to pursue a much bigger goal.

The 17-year-old moved to Texas in August to play for the Texas Tornado team in the North American Hockey League. The junior league is the step before playing college hockey.

“Missing my senior year in Brandon is rough— I wanted to graduate with my friends, so it sucks, but I had to do it, because I want to continue my dream of playing hockey.”

Lumm hopes to earn a division I college scholarship and eventually play professional hockey. He began playing hockey at just 3-years-old after attending Detroit Red Wings games with his father, Ed Lumm. His first year he learned to skate and after that year, began playing against other youngsters. He has always played right wing, as he wasn’t good at skating backwards when he first started playing.

Leo was playing travel hockey earlier this year when scouts from the NAHL tendered him to play in the junior league. He moved to Texas in August and lives with a host family whose own son is playing hockey on a travel team in Michigan. Leo attends Lakeland High School in Frisco, Texas and is at the rink four hours a day after school practicing with his team. They play 2-3 games every weekend as part of the roughly 60-game season. The Texas Tornado team currently has a 28-9 record and Leo has five goals for the season. He missed most of December with an injured ankle and is just getting back in action now.

“Hockey is my life,” said Leo. “I was really excited to go to this team, it’s one of the top teams in the league.”

Players in the league range from 17-years-old to 21. Leo said the Texas Tornado team is heading for the play-offs. After, he hopes to be heading to college to play hockey and has been talking to a few schools. He plans to study sports medicine or take courses to become an athletic trainer.

He was relieved to see the recent end of the NHL lockout.

“I am just happy hockey is back, I miss it and am going crazy not watching it.”

Leo advises young players to work hard and listen to their coaches. He is grateful to his parents, Ronnie and Ed Lumm and credits their support as well as hard work and dedication for getting him to where he is today— a road that he hopes leads to an even bigger stage